'Preacher' Pilot Review

In the past few years, AMC have given us some real TV gold, from the acclaimed Breaking Bad to the grim, zombie filled The Walking Dead, they certainly have made some fantastic television and their newest show Preacher looks like its set to follow in those footsteps. Preacher is based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's cult comic book that ran through the latter part of the 90's and followed troubled preacher Jesse Custer on his quest to find God after bonding with a powerful entity known as Genesis. The show has been developed by none other than Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg who have given us films such as Superbad and This is the End along with Sam Catlin of Breaking Bad, so with a creative team like that it was hard for Preacher to disappoint, and it's pilot certainly does not.

The pilot follows the eponymous preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) in the small town of Annaville, Texas as he struggles with the conflict among his parishioners along with his own inner conflict. To make things more complicated there are some new arrivals in his town, his ex-girlfriend turned hitwoman Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga) and the wise-cracking Irish vampire Cassidy (Joe Gilgun). This season appears to be acting as a precursor to the events of the comics which I feel really works as it allows for introduction and development of the key characters. Now as far as my knowledge of the comics go, I've only read two of the six collected editions so far, but from the pilot of Preacher it has already become clear that the show really captures the spirit of its source material. From its cinematography to its soundtrack, the world of Ennis and Dillon's comic was brought to life in full in the pilot episode, and it is a dark and brutal world. You see the comics really put the graphic in graphic novel, from mutilation to rape, pedophilia to beastiality, they are completely off the wall. Obviously there is only so much you can show on television but Rogen and Goldberg are certainly pushing the limit with  several bloody brawls and an exploding Tom Cruise in just the first episode. But it's not all blood and violence as the duo also bring their signature sense of humour to the show which is something that I feel is lacking in shows like The Walking Dead and also something that I feel will make Preacher stand out among the rest.

One of the shows main assets that is evident from the pilot are its strong cast who really bring life and personality of their comic book counterparts. British actor Dominic Cooper takes on the role of Jesse Custer, a struggling preacher who is losing his faith not only in his congregation, but in his religion as well. Cooper is quite captivating to watch as Custer, he really conveys the inner turmoil suffered by the preacher and his struggle to cope with it, not only that but he makes a really convincing American, you wouldn't even know he was from London beneath that smooth Southern drawl. Speaking of accents, I was relieved to hear that Joe Gilgun of This is England fame could pull off a convincing Irish one as he takes on the role of Irish vampire Cassidy. This character is the comic relief of the show and from the pilot it looks as if Gilgun's portrayal of the character will become a fan favourite as the show goes on. The real highlight of the pilot episode however, is Irish actress Ruth Negga in her role as the witty Tulip O'Hare. Negga really embodies the badass hitwoman from the comics while adding her own unique flare to the character, from her first scene (a brawl inside a car) she will already catch your attention and will grow on immensely throughout the rest of the episode. Along with the trio of primary protagonists, some other highlights include newcomer Ian Colletti as the disfigured Arseface and W. Earl Brown as his stern father, Sheriff Hugo Root.

It is a very well-written show packed full of memorable dialogue that is worthy of a Tarantino film, some of the best one-liners are courtesy of Cassidy and there are sure to be much more where they came from. A combination of this witty dialogue and the stellar acting has brought Ennis and Dillon's characters to life, making them both likeable and captivating. But it's not all talk, in fact that was one of the most action packed pilot episodes I've ever seen, from bar brawling to car brawling to plane brawling, Preacher is full of some excellently choreographed action sequences that will have your heart racing. As I said before, the comics are pretty bizarre when it comes to violence and there is obviously a lot that won't make it to the small screen, but fair play to Rogen and Goldberg as they are doing their best to pack as much of that outlandish gore into the show. Examples of this include the opening scene involving one of Genesis' failed hosts and a darkly comic scene where a man attempts to 'open his heart' to his mother, this show is not for the faint-hearted. It also left many questions to be answered such as the identities of the mysterious duo seen travelling the globe throughout the episode and the details of Jesse's backstory that was hinted at through flashbacks. These are questions whose answers can be found in the pages of the comics, how true the show will remain to its source material however is uncertain as of now.

Exhilarating from start to finish and packed full of brilliant writing and impeccable acting, Preacher is looking out to be another acclaimed TV show from AMC. It has a fantastic creative team behind it along with a colourful cast of characters that will be sure to keep things interesting throughout, along with being darkly humourous and shamelessly violent it is sure to gather a wide following pretty quickly. It manages to both honour its source material while at the same time bring the Preacher story into the contemporary, something that will please both those who have read the comics and those who have not. With such a thrilling pilot episode it is hard to not be excited for the future of this show, there are so many characters and story arcs to explore in the future and if it remains consistent with this fantastic pilot then Preacher is set to be just as successful as some of its predecessors on AMC.